Disciplined, determined, and exemplary Shola Allyson Obaniyi is a Nigerian gospel songstress, whose self-esteem and rare virtues have made her be widely celebrated as the true epitome of a self-reliant singer. Shola is best known as a Nigerian soul, folk, and gospel singer, and songwriter. She gained fame after releasing her hit album Eji Owuro in 2003, which was the soundtrack album for a Yoruba, blockbuster film of the same title.
Shola recently attracted media attention for priding herself as a highly principled singer, who has often refused to have sex with men in her moments of need in exchange for financial favors or to promote her career.
Quick Profile of Shola Allyson
- Complete name: Sola Allyson-Obaniyi
- Date of Birth: 23rd September
- Place of Birth: Ikorodu Lagos, Nigeria
- Career: Singer, songwriter, voice coach, counselor, and consultant,
- Husband: Toyin Obaniyi (m. 2003)
- Children: 3
Biography And Early Life of Shola Allyson
Shola Allyson was born and brought up born into a Muslim family, at Ikorodu, Lagos State in the early 1970s, where she had her primary education at the Anglican Primary School, Ikorodu.
With regards to her secondary education, Shola attended Shams-el-deen Grammar School, Ikorodu before advancing to the Government Technical College, Agidingbi, Ikeja, where she studied Business Studies and obtained an NBTE Certificate.
Later in 1997, Shola got admitted into The Polytechnic, of Ibadan where she studied Music Technology, while she majored in Voice and minored in Music and obtained her Higher National Diploma (HND) coming out with Upper Credit.
A Look At The Career Of The Nigerian Singer
While she was still schooling, Shola worked as a waitress in order to help pay her bills. Apart from that, she also worked as a studio backup singer to some famous artists in Nigeria including Yinka Ayofele, Daddy Showkey, Stella Monye, and the late Gbenga Adeboye among many others. More so, she was also a member of the band of Kayode Olajide.
Even though she was born a Muslim, the gospel singer would sneak into different churches as a young girl to attend services. Among the churches she used to visit was the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) Olushesi parish (Apata Igbala) Iju Ishaga and soon afterward she began singing. This was what drew her to chase music as a career even though her father wanted her to become a lawyer.
Her very soft and excellent voice also opened the doors for her to get involved in adverts for both TV and radio jingles. She would later meet a man who overwhelmed by her talent, asked her to make a soundtrack for the Yoruba film Eji Owuro. Following the success of the film, it naturally led to her first studio album, Eji Owuro in 2003. In the years that followed, she released more albums and got to work with big names in the industry including the likes of Pasuma and Cobhams. Since her first album, she has also released the following albums:
- Gbe Je F’ori (2005)
- Ire (2007)
- Im’oore (2009)
- Adun (2012)
- Imuse (2018)
- Iri (2019)
Also a voice coach, counselor, and consultant, the gospel soul, and folklore singer has won several awards in her career thus far including the Special Recognition Awards, City People Music Awards which she received in 2018.
Shola Allyson Is A Married Woman
Shola Allyson has not hidden the fact that she has been married for a long time now, and according to her, her greatest fan is her husband. The two met when they were singing as choir members of the Celestial Church of Christ.
Shola and her husband, Toyin Obaniyi got married in March 2003. She made it known that when they were still dating, her husband had the dream of having 7 children with her. However, they now only have three children; two sons and a daughter.
How She Escaped Being A Victim Of Sexual Molestation
In an Instagram post, the singer narrated the tale of how she escaped being sexually molested by the whisker when she worked as a waitress in a pub. This played out when a certain man offered to go as far as paying her tuition fees if she was willing to succumb to his sexual desires.
She revealed how she stood her ground and never yielded to his whims and caprices, despite her financial challenges at that time.
She Did Not Rise To Fame By Sleeping Around
Even though the entertainment industry is one that is riddled with tales of people buying their way to the top with sex, Sola Allyson made it known that she rose to fame thanks to her talent and hard work. According to her, she has had experiences of men wanting to sleep with her with promises to help her to the top but she refused.
She revealed that even before she released her first album, she once had an experience where after a video shoot, a man she described as “uncle” invited her to a room where he asked he promised to make her famous if she agreed to sleep with him. It was not long after this that she gained the chance to make the soundtrack for Eji Owuro.
